A STORY ABOUT STORIES

Hello fellow fan fiction addict! Be warned, I am more likely to enable your ff addiction than help you get over it. I have been a ff addict for much longer than there has been widely available internet access. When we got our first PC with internet capabilities it was 1994. We had just moved from central NJ - half way between NYC and Philadelphia - to western KY, the black hole of the technological highway at the time. We were able to get access through Prodigy, remember them? It wasn't much, it was slow, but it was an entrance into a wonderful new world. Not to mention an introduction to digital ff. An easy, clear cut way to access what had been a hidden secret to many at that time. No longer did you need to rely on snail mail or hunt out fellow addicts, or co-conspirators if you will. The need for conventions, which I still have not been able to get to one, to network or reams of paper and photocopy machine access may be nice extras, but no longer necessary.

Of course it's not just the fulfillment of our greedy need for ff the net has filled. It has also given us 'cyber-friends', 'list-sibs', 'list-moms' and a plethora of other wonderful people who have become a part of our social circles and lives. FF writers and archivists in particular. They may write to fill a personal need and they may have a need for feedback akin to their need for water or air. But generally those are the only two things of any substance they receive. They spend countless hours writing, editing and posting. They spend hard earned money on notebooks, pens, computers, internet access and all the other things needed to turn thought into consumable stories. We may not always agree with there viewpoint; prefer their writing styles / levels; or even completely enjoy their oc's or au's. We should always appreciate their effort, their hard work and all the hours of entertainment they provide us without any usable compensation. FF writers, betas, everyone who is part of the process give freely of themselves while us ff addicts get to enjoy the escape their stories provide. Yes it's nice when the grammar and spelling is correct, things are formatted nicely and there are no mistakes to be found. I personally am just grateful that the story is there. My keyboard has a delete key if it's not exactly my cup of tea. Though I have to admit to using it rarely. As I said, I'm an addict and usually always appreciate a fix:)

This may seem like a weird place for my paragraph long soapbox type statement. It wasn't what I started to write, but it is what came out. Muses can be odd things. Odd, though my muse usually knows better than I do. The above feelings may be a better intro to who I am than my demographic statistics. Every time I read a nasty review, a flame, those thoughts or something similar come to mind. And I worry about the writer, hope they weren't hurt too badly. Wish they hadn't been hurt at all. Maybe even more so since I don't really consider myself a writer. Luckily my meager attempts to pay back the debt I owe all those wonderful writers out there with something for them to read has never been met with one of the horrible flames / comments you come across occasionally. I have no problem with critical reviews that tactfully address spelling, grammar, continuity errors or the such. Just the hateful ones. Unfortunately we all come across them occasionally. Then I try to remember they are rare given then number of over all comments out there. The majority of people involved with ff are wonderful - supportive, grateful, caring, generous. Where else can you mention as an aside that somethings going wrong in your life and suddenly you receive supportive messages, offers of positive thought or a compassionate ear to listen. The vast majority of the ff lists I've been on have been just like that. Have been what I'd like to be profiled as, even if I don't always live up to it, a generous, appreciative and caring person.

I'm not sure how long I'll leave those last two paragraphs up, but for the moment they are here. For those who like things more black and white, as well as for when I take the previous down, here's a more typical intro:)

I'm a 50 something married (for 30 years) mother of two adult children and two "perfect" preschool grandsons. A stay at home, since a disabling car accident, empty nester I've held a few different jobs in real life. Most of them have been related to the medical field, a couple retail related. I came 'online' around the same time The Sentinel came on TV. So I was lucky enough to start my internet ff addiction in the infancy of The Sentinel fandom. I still read and keep in touch with some of the many other wonderful fans from that show. Over time I have also dipped my toes into the fandom pools of Simon & Simon, Riptide, Leverage, Criminal Minds, NCIS, both Hawaii 5-0's, Numbers, NCIS LA, Supernatural, Thunderbirds and Magnificent 7. While I enjoy reading many fandoms, Mag 7 is my favorite. Particularly any the ATF au and other present day, sci fi or fantasy au's. Those seven men, particularly Vin and Chris, are just so versatile. If I was pressed for a second favorite is probably H50, though Leverage, Supernatural and Criminal Minds are right up there. Actually I enjoy reading all those on my list. I guess variety is the spice of life.

I'd also like to get back to where I was before my muse hijacked my typing fingers - confessing an addiction. And taking a moment to offer a very big, public THANK YOU to all the ff writers out there, just in case I missed you with feedback. Thank you for providing me with free entertainment and escapism. Believe me, there have been times in the last 18 years that I really needed the escape and distraction. I dedicate my meager offering here to you. If you hadn't posted before me I never would have been brave enough to share what I wrote. I hope it provides you with some degree of enjoyment. I also hope to improve so that I can return the favor of quality ff.